OHINEMURI COUNTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5394, 1 March 1929, Page 3

OHINEMURI COUNTY.

MEETING OT COUNCIL.

Ther? was a. full attendance of members at the Ohinemuri County Council meeting yesterday, Or. H. M. Corbett (chairman) presiding. Before the c,omme|ncement of t.he business before the meeting the council, on the motion of the chairman, extended, a vote of sympathy to Mr C. B. Gentil on his recent sad be-, reavement. Mr Corbett stated that Mr Gentil, after Mr, Evans, was the longest employe# officer of. the council, and a tried and faithful one. All present stood in silence for a minute in respect to the; late Mrs> Gentil. WAITAWHETA ROAD. A letter from the Public Works De-, partment, dated February 6„ stated that construction of Waitawheta Road by the department had bepn completed, and the road coluld be handed over, to. the c.ouncil as from the date of the letter. Legalisation was not yet complete, but the Public. ■Works Department’s assistant engineer understood: that the survey was finished and matters were well in hand! for the proclamation to be issued in due coulee. Until legalisation was complete the formal handing over would have to. be delayed, but in the meantime the council would havg control as from the 6th inst. This referred particularly to the two deviations, from the Owharpa station td above the Owharoa falls, and along the old tramline. It was understood that from the point of view of workmanship an# constructional details the road was satisfactory to the council. '

The council expressed its appreciation of the work accomplished, to whic,h Or. C. MaSon added that the settlers deeply appreciated Svhat had been done. Instead of crossing a ford they now had a splepdfid! c.oncjrpte bridge, for which they hoped there would be an official opening.

The chairman thought all the councillors would attend.

REVIEW OF MAIN HIGHWAYS.

A circular, letter from Che Main Highways District Council, Auckland, relative; to the annual review of main highways which the board proposed to make in April or May, stated that it was not intended to make further wholesale declarations of main highways, but the matter of adjustments an# substitution of other roads: where justified would be reviewed. If thq council had any roads which had good claims for inclusion in the highway system the board requested it to take the matter up with the assistant engineer, at Paeroa as early as possible. Without hesitation it was decided to ask for the Waihi-Whangamata road to be declared a main highway. There was already great traffic along this road consisting chiefly of travellers an# tourists, so' that before long it would have to be declared a main highway, and, in the opinion of the council, the sooner the better, as it was unfair to a lopp.l body to ha.vej to hiaintain the road under the circumstances. As the Thames County was also closely concerned in the road the matter would be gone into with that council.

A resolution wa.s also madfe to ask for Hubbard’s Road' to be declared a main highway.

DAMAGE TO TELEGRAPH CABLES.

A circular letter from the district telegraph engineer, Auckland, drew attention to. damage caused) to the department’s cables on occasion through excavating sewers, etc., and suggested that as a special concession all permits issued to drain-layers and others, in future should include a clause emphasising the necessity of examining the department’s cabling , and duct plans before commencing any work whic.li might interfere with the underground telephone sys.tem. The department was willing to supply , a suitable rubber stamp for impress- . ing existing forms. The; request was acceded to. WAIHI BEACH FORESHORE. ~ The town clerk, Waihi, wrote asking if the council had any objection to the Marine Department vesting in the jWaihi Borough Council the control of the strip of foreshore in the Ohineinuri County adjacent to the Waihi Seach township. Fishermen were causing great nuisance by cleaning fish and depositing the refuse on the sand or in the breakers, to be washed up later on the open beadh or jn the bathing areja. The local authority Had no jurisdiction over the sand'S, and the men wei.e apparently taking advantage of this fact. The Waihi connP cil was asking the Marine Department to give it control of the foreshore immediately in front of the reserve’, and would be pleased to have the Qhinemuri County Council’s permission to include Its small strip. The council’s consent was granted. LAND SETTLEMENT EEAGUE. The N.Z. Land Settlement and Development League wrptte asking the council to send representatives to a conference bf the league in conjunc- ( £ tion with the Dominion Settlejment S Association on the subject, of settlement and Immigration problem to, be held at Wellington on March 12 and 13. The matter was referred to individual councillors for perusal. k TUI MINE TRACK. ) . W. J. Comes, Te Arpha, wfote pointing out the bad state of the track from the old Tui mine to the flat. He hoped) tire; council would be able to make the track fit for sleighing as Soon as possible to. aid him and other prospectors. He himself had ten d twenty tons, of quartz to get out for, crushing. The engineer, in answer to the 'chairman, estimated! that it would take £lOO to bring the; whole of the •road into a. state fit for genera! use. A much-needed portion was being attended to by means of a grant, but n't. was impossible to do the whole of . 'iihe road with what was available. 0 On the chairman’s motion it was. '• decided to spend the grant and see what the position was then. Mace considered that they should think twice before spending £,lOO there after the last mining ventures in that locality.